Spring bed-bottom



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

{No Model.)

J. L. KRABER. SPRING BED BOTTOM.

No. 465,024. Patented Dec. 15, 1891.

m: NORRXS PETERS co., PIIOTb-u'mm. msmmnaql, o, c.

(No Model.) s SheetsSheet 2.

J. L'. KRABER. SPRING BED BOTTOM.

No. 465,024. Patented 1360.. 15, 1891.

(No Model.) 3 She'ets-Sheet a.

J. L. KRABER. SPRING BED BOTTOM.

No. 465,024. Patented Dec. 15, 1891.

TNE News PEYEHS co, wnmumo WASNINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'JOl-IN' LUTHER KRABER, OF HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA.

SP RING BED-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,024, dated December15, 1891.

Application filed March 4, 1891. Serial No. 383.743. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN LUTHER KRABER, a citizen of the United States,residing at High Point, in the county of Guilford and State of NorthCarolina, have inventeda new and useful Spring Bed-l3ottom, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to spring bed-bottoms, and has for its object,first, to provide a bed-botton1 which will be simple in construction andat the same time possess allthe advantages of a spring-bed, yieldingreadily to the contour of the person lying thereon and having sufficientelasticity to render it comfortable and luxurious.

These objects and such others as fairly fall within the scope of theinvention I attain by means of the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, the peculiar construction, combination, andarrangements of which will be fully described hereinafter, and

the points of novelty particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bedstead having abottom and mattress constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2is a bottom plan view of the bed-bottom in a removable frame, the casingover the springs being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a top plan View ofthe bed-bottom and mattress arranged in a bedstead, the netting and apart of the mattress and canvas being broken away. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview on the line a; m of Fig. 2, the casing of thespring being brokenaway. Fig. 5 is an inverted perspective View, on an enlarged scale, ofone corner of the frame, showing the mechanism for turning thetightening-rods. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the winder. Fig. 7 is asimilar view of one of the side strips. Figs. 8 and 9 are a plan viewand longitudinal section, respectively, of a modified form of wind er;and Fig. 10 is a detail view of a supporting-ring and screw adapted tobe used in lieu of pulleys.

Similarletters and figures of reference designate corresponding parts inthe several views of the drawings, referring to which" A designates abedstead of any approved construction, to which my improved bed-bottomis applied. The bed-bottom may be applied directly, asshown in Fig.3,0rit maybe arranged within a removable frame B, and the latter may belocated within the bedstead. Hence when reference is hereinafter madetothe frame it will be understood that the frame is meant which isimmediately ex- .terior to the bed-bottom, whether that frame be theremovable frame or the frame of the bedstead. The frame may .be bracedby a suitable brace A, which extends across from. frame about themidside to side of the said cll'e thereof.

For convenient reference I will designate the sides of the frame B as Band B and the ends thereof as B and B".

Along the side bars of the frame are secured side strips 0 of U shapedcross-section, the sides thereof standing in horizontal planes, thebases being secured to the inner faces of the side bars, and the opensides facing inwardly, and through a series of openings in the saidsides of these strips 0 are placed pins 0, upon which small pulleys care loosely mounted inthe manner best ill ustratedin Fig. 7

Secured to a staple or eye D at the corner of the frame, where the sideB and end B are joined together, is a helical spring I), and connectedto the other end of said spring is a cord E, which passes thence acrossand around.

joined, is located the winder. (Shown moreclearly in Fig. 6.) Thiswinder comprises a U-shaped bracket F, whose base is secured to theinner face of the end bar B of the frame, and a shaft F, journaled inthe free ends of the bracket F, extending a short distance above andbelow the same, and having upon its upper end a disk F upon whichisafold ing handlef, by which the shaft F may be rotated.

engages a pawl f upon the bracket F to prevent the said shaft fromturning back.

Upon the ends 13 and B of the frame 13 The lower end of the shaft F is'provided with a ratchet-disk f, with which are secured U-shaped stripsG, similar to the strips 0, but somewhat smaller and shorter than theends of the frame, and smallpulleys g are mounted therein, similar tothe pulleys c of the strips 0.

Upon the end B of the frame near the side B is placed a coiled springI), one end of which is secured to the end of the side 13 of the frameand to the opposite end of the said spring 19 is secured the end of asteel wire H, which passes thence to and around the pulley g in theopposite end of the strip G, from which it passes to the opposite pulleyg in the end B around two of the pulleys on the said end, thence back tothe end B passing around two of the pulleys in that end, thence again tothe opposite end, and so on until it has passed around all of thepulleys in the strips G. The free ends of the cord E, and also of thesteel wire H, are secured to the shaft F of the winder hereinbeforedescribed, from which it will be understood that by turning the handlethe said cord and wire may be tightened, and the ratchet-disk f and pawlf are arranged to prevent the shaft F from turning in the direction tounwind the said cord and wire.

'The springs D and b are inclosed in suitable casings cl and brespectively.

IVithin the frame B, above the U-shaped strips 0 and G and parallel withthe sides and ends of the said frame, are arranged rods I, I, I and 1the rods Iand I being secured to the inner sides of the side B and end Bof the frame, and the rods 1' and I being journaled in suitable bearingsupon the inner sides of the side B and the end B.

A piece of canvas, bed-ticking, or other suitable material J is securedat its side edges to the rods I and I, and extends across the frame overthe cord E, and is extended at its ends, as at J and J, and secured tothe end rods I and 1 The side rod I and end rod 1 which are journaled tothe frame, are provided at their meeting ends with a bevel gear-wheel iand pinion c", meshing with each other. The gearwheel 2' is providedwith spur -teeth around its periphery in addition to the bevelteeth,which mesh with the pinion 'i', and the said spur-teeth are arranged tomesh with a gear-wheel i mounted upon a stud upon the inner side nearthe end of the end B Ahandie 1' is provided upon the gear-wheel 2' bymeans of which the said wheel may be turned to rotate the rods 1 and Ithrough the medium of the bevel-gears it", and so tighten the canvas J.A pawl is pivoted upon the end B of the frame and arranged to engage theteeth of the gear-wheel i to hold the canvas at the proper tension.

A netting K, having a border of canvas or ticking, is secured in anysuitable manner to the edges of the canvas J, and the mattress L isplaced upon the said canvas J beneath the netting K and held in place bythe latter. The mattress .may be stitched with a thread or, formed ofvery fine wires and waxed, so as to sew through the ticking easily, or,if found desirable, the metallic thread may be galvanized. The stitchesmay be placed upon the mattress so as to form fancy figures, a very goodform being a spiral, as shown at n in Fig. 3.

It will be understood that this invention may be applied to sofas,easy-chairs, and similar articles of furniture, and also that I do notwish to limit myself to the precise details of construction hereindescribed, as many modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the inventionas, for instance, in lieu of the winderherein described and shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings I may use a winderconstructed substantially as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, consisting of awheel or disk 1, journaled upon a plate 2 and having a handle 3 pivotedthereto, as at .4. The lower end 5 of the handle3 is formed at rightangles to the handle proper, and when the handle is folded down upon thewheel 1 the .end 5 thereof passes through the said wheel and engagesdepression 6, formed in the plate 2, thus locking the wheel 1 frommovement. When the handle is raised to turn the wheel 1, the lower end 5thereof will be raised out of the depression 6 and allow the wheel to berotated by said handle. The spindle 7, to which the cord or wire E isattached, may be geared to the wheel 1 by a spur-pinion 8, arranged tomesh with teeth 9, formed around the periphery of the Wheel 1, or it maybe attached directly to the center of the wheel 1, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 9.

I do not wish to confine myself to the form of pulley herein describedand shown, as it will be obvious that any form of pulley may be used, orI may use instead a ring 10, as shown in Fig. 10, suitably connected toa screw 11 or other device through which the cord will run easily.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a spring-bed bottom, U-shaped strips secured at their bases to theinner faces of the opposite side rails and end bars of a bedframe,pulleys journaled vertically within said strips and inclosed thereby,helical springs inclosed within casings located at opposite ends of theframe, a cord secured at one end to one of said springs and passedtherefrom alternately around pairsof pulleys upon the opposite siderails, a wire secured to the other spring and similarly wound around theinclosed pulleys of the end bars and beneath said cording, and a windersecured to one end of said frame and receiving the free ends of saidcord and wire, said winder comprising a U-shaped bracket, awinding-shaft journaled therein and carrying a disk upon one end, afolding handle or lever pivoted to one edge of said disk and adapted tobe folded thereover, and a pawl-and ratchet device connected to theother end of said shaft Without said bracket, substantially as setforth.

2. In a spring bed-bottom, the combination, with the bed-frame, of thecord alternately connected with the opposite side rai1s,a wire arrangedat right angles to said cord beneath the same and alternately connectedwith the opposite end bars, bot-h cord and Wire being connected to thesame Winder and to opposite tension-springs, Winding-rods journaledalong the inner sides and ends of the frame, a supplemental bottom coverarranged above said cord and connected with said rods which Wind J. H.MILLIS, A. A. BARKER.

